


If the Ground Beneath Us Should Crumble

by FandomLife54



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Arguing, Armitage Hux Being An Asshole, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Disguise, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Force Bond (Star Wars), Getting Together, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Major Character Injury, Near Death Experiences, Please Don't Hate Me, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Post-TLJ, Rey Needs A Hug, The Force, ambushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 03:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18438101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomLife54/pseuds/FandomLife54
Summary: Attempting to reconcile their relationship after the incident in the throne room, Ben tries to convince Rey there is more to their bond than Snoke claimed. Before things can be resolved, an ambush breaks out and Rey is on the run, separated from her rebel friends. Unable to sit back and watch, Ben races to help her as she fights for her life.OrThe knot in his stomach pulls tighter with every desperate plea she calls into her communicator.“The Supremacy’s jammers are on, Rey. No one can hear you.” She dives for cover, a tiny sob breaking from her throat. “But I can. I hear you, and I’m coming. Just hang on.”Her head swings up. “What?"





	If the Ground Beneath Us Should Crumble

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to post a fic before the big Star Wars celebration began. I hope you enjoy it and if you could show mercy, send me some kudos for trying. T__T Thank you!

He sits rigidly at the edge of his bed, too much on his mind to do anything more than to rest his eyes. Past his thoughts, a familiar muteness settles in his ear and he peeks his eyes open at the faint grumbles that echo from nowhere. Putting in a little more focus, he’s suddenly sitting opposite of the woman who shut him out. She doesn’t seem to notice that he’s there.

 

“Come on, come on.” Something sparks, flashing angrily before it abruptly stops. “UGH!” Rey slams the broken lightsaber onto her bed, smothering it with her pillow.

 

His voice is as soft as the last time they spoke. “Having trouble?” Silence. “It may not be salvageable. You’re a good mechanic and the kyber crystal is still intact; with newer materials, I imagine you’d be able to build a new lightsaber fairly quickly.”

 

“Obviously not,” she hisses, sharp glare fading into misery when she finally faces him. Her eyes close, head falling in defeat. “I’ve never built one before, nor do I know how. It wasn’t part of my training like a normal jedi... and Skywalker is no longer here to guide me.”

 

“You don’t need him.”

 

Rey sighs. “Ben-”

 

“I can still be your teacher.”

 

“And you’ll show me all the ways of the darkness. I already gave you my answer on Snoke’s ship- _your_ ship, now.”

 

“It is, and you did. But something else has been bothering me. Do you remember what Snoke said about us? About our bond?”

 

She purses her lips, glaring at the floor. “He said he’s the one who forged it.”

 

“Yes. Now he’s dead and the force is still connecting us. Why?”

 

“Maybe it’s residual. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

 

“Of course it does,” he whispers. “We’re connected. The two of us are meant to join together. If you could just let go-”

 

“Oh, enough, Ben!” Rey stands abruptly, teeth bared. He almost flinches. “Enough. I don’t care. I’m done with this, us, our force bond. Whatever this is, it’s not what I thought it was and neither are you.” She huffs harshly, turning away from him. “Everyone else was right, I was a fool to believe I could turn you. Well, no more. Just leave me alone and we can kill each other on the battlefield as enemies are meant to. ”

 

The leather of his glove crinkles, fingers digging into his pants. “Is that what you truly believe?”

 

Her shoulders dip, legs giving out as she slumps back down to sit. “You’re the Supreme Leader of the First Order, now, Ben. Our sides are at war... You’re killing people- killing my friends, my mentors, _me_. And I’m tired. I’m so tired of fighting you... But I don’t want to lose anyone else and if I join you, I’ll lose everyone.” She shakes her head. “I won’t do that.”

 

His eyes soften in the low light of her room. “Rey-” An explosion rocks her off her cot and onto the floor. Ben stands, helpless to the rush of panic that speeds his heart. “What’s happening?”

 

Stormtroopers burst through the door and she’s quick to draw her gun, pushing them back long enough to jam the entrance with her staff.

 

“You snake...” There’s a pinch to his brow at her low growl. “This was all just a distraction.”

 

His stomach drops. Whatever fervent denial he shouts, it’s drowned out by the booming clangs against her door. The soldiers are breaking their way in. “I didn’t-”

 

He’s struck silent as her hand raises, the greatest darkness in her eyes and it’s all aimed at him. With a brutal push, he feels something burst behind him, the momentum shoving him straight over his bed.  He calls out, but the connection is lost and he’s alone in his room once more.

 

\- - - - -

 

Storming onto the bridge, he listens to the frantic voices of the rebels scrambling under a cover of static. They’re cutting off communication. Two fists snatch the first person he sees and his presence threatens physical harm for even the slightest offense.

 

“ _Who authorized this mission?_ ”

 

“G-General Hux did, Supreme Leader.”

 

The crewman cowers out of sight as he drops him, Ben turning on his heels to charge off towards his ship. Reaching towards Rey through the force, his teeth grind as he’s only granted minor glimpses, gone too soon to understand. He needs some semblance of what is happening down there. He needs-

 

“Going somewhere, Supreme Leader?” _Hux_. The malign man stares at him with taunting eyes and a warped grin that say he can see right through him, even with his helmet on.

 

“I’m going down there,” he nearly snarls.

 

“There are more than enough troops on the ground. This will be over, shortly.”

 

Her voice comes through in fragments, sounds of fear and trepidation. She’s running, and whatever she’s running from is catching up to her.

 

It takes less than a flick of his wrist to send Hux flying. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

 

The flight to the planet’s surface nearly drives him to insanity in his impatience. He’s quick to study the land, mapping key areas and routes of escape. From above, he can see most the troops are pushing the rebels back into a retreat, but when he listens to Rey, he hears no one shouting for her.

 

She’s alone.

 

The thought sends him into a frenzy, touching his ship down with anything but grace and slamming the button to lower the door. It’s only when he takes his first step, ready to rush in, that he stops.

 

He’s breathing hard, hands shaking and and muscles jerking for him to go.  But he can’t.

 

Not like this.

 

His helmet comes off with a click, the sleek metal reflecting at him before he sets it down. Without thinking, his fingers are working at his gloves and cape, the black fabric dropping to the floor.

 

Sneaking off his ship and into the small town is simple, the buildings either abandoned or full of corpses. The market is completely destroyed but he manages to snag a cloak out of the remains of one clothing stand, pulling it around his shoulder and tugging the hood up. He grabs another, tearing the cloth to make a mask for his face.

 

His eyes halt on a fallen stormtrooper and the blaster lying at their side. Considering his lightsaber for a moment, he tucks it away and picks up the gun.  

 

 _Rey,_ he reaches out. He can see her. Her movements are stiff but careful as she fires shot after shot. He catches the way her head continuously turns to look behind and below.

 

“Are you at the cliffs?” he chokes.

 

Several explosions ring out. “I didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter!”

 

His legs push off with a start, feet pounding against the grassy floor as he bounds off into the forest. The knot in his stomach pulls tighter with every desperate plea she calls into her communicator.

 

“The Supremacy’s jammers are on, Rey. No one can hear you.” She dives for cover, a tiny sob breaking from her throat. “But I can. I hear you, and I’m coming. Just hang on.”

 

Her head swings up. “What? What are you talking about, where are you?” He finally catches the tail end of the troops chasing her, hauling up his blaster and taking the shot. “What are you doing?”

 

He dodges the incoming fire behind a shield of trees. “How many are after you?”

 

She stares at him for a moment, blinking rapidly before scanning the field and quickly dunking back down to cover. “Twenty. Maybe twenty-five. I can’t be sure, there’s too many trees and I’m pretty sure there were a few more groups not far behind.”

 

“There are. I’m taking care of them,” he grunts, barraging through another round of soldiers.

 

She takes down three stormtroopers in as many shots, sliding down with a huff. “My pistol is nearly out of ammo.”

 

Ben plucks the blaster off a soldier as they crumble to the ground. “I got you one.” He jogs to a halt at the cliffs edge, looking either direction. “I can feel you. You’re close.”

 

“Be careful, they’re everywhere.” Her gun fires until only empty clicks ring out. “No, come one!”

 

Rey chucks the thing in rage, shocked when her force slips and the weapon is sent flying. “Ha! Wow, that actually knocked someone down.” Her eyes flicker to the dozens of stones scattered at her feet. “Always rocks, isn’t it..”

 

With a little wiggle of her fingers the stones rise and twirl around her hand. When the soldiers breach the treeline, she spreads her palm, stones shifting into horizontal lines, and unleashes them. The speed of them cuts through their suits like shrapnel, resounding cries as they retreat to safety.

 

Her cheers churn something warm in Ben’s chest, but it’s short lived as they both hear the march of feet thundering through the floor.

 

“What is it?” he calls.

 

Slinking out of the shade of the forest, Rey is met with a wall of stormtroopers, shields up and stomping forward.

 

“Trouble...”

 

She lifts the bigger slabs of rock, launching them with almost no effect. There are a few boulders besides the one she’s using for cover. Dropping to one knee, hands raised to either side of her head, she pushes out, the boulders hurdling forward. They take out four or five soldiers each, but it’s not enough.

 

“Rey! I see you!” Ben stops at the abrupt drop to the cavern below, a great valley between them. “Here!” He throws the blaster towards her and they both smile when she catches it. As he turns to find another way to her, he’s suddenly surrounded, three rapid-fire blasts sending him recoiling. Except, when he blinks, they’re gone. “... _No_ ..” He whips around, a line of stormtroopers watching Rey stumble backwards, blood blossoming her chest as she tips over the edge. “ _NO!_ ”

 

His gun crashes to the floor, both arms reaching out to cradle her limp form with his force and catch her before she could fall.

 

The high pitch of a gunshot rings in his ear, quickly muffled by the shriek ripped from his chest as pain erupts through his shoulder. For a terrifying second, the shock breaks his focus and she’s falling all over again, but he recaptures her, bracing himself behind the cover of trees.

 

The soldiers sound out a call to arms, warnings of ‘Another rebel!’ blending with his heartbeat as it pounds in his ears. It’s the numbing sensation traveling through his right arm that snaps him back to reality, pulling Rey onto the edge for fear of dropping her again. It scares him how he can’t feel her anymore.

 

Blinking his vision back to clarity, Ben follows the path the stormtroopers take to reach him, remembering it for later after he kills them all. Snatching his gun, he unleashes round after round, taking down as many as he can between breaths. They’re moving in faster than he can shoot, and their aim grows increasingly closer to their target.

 

His eyes are fixed on the forward onslaught when the snap of a twig has him swirling to his left, taking out two of incoming soldiers. He’s about to blast the third when his weapon is shot from his grasp.

 

The barrel of a gun halts his hand, halfway to his lightsaber, and it presses against the back of his head like a dare to move any further.

 

“Wait!” someone orders. One of his captains, he knows. “Our mission was to kill the jedi woman. We can bring this one back to the supreme leader to find out where the resistance is heading. Take them.”

 

Listening as the stormtrooper’s boots stomp forward, Ben closes his eyes and reaches out one more time. He can’t feel her. He could always feel her.

 

Dipping his head, hood hiding every emotion his face is surely giving away, he breaths.

 

A violent quake ruptures the ground beneath them, the soldiers shouting out in panic. Some try running, foolishly, and the cracks swallow them, the hillside tipping over the edge as everything and everyone begins sliding into the cavern below.

 

The rumble and screams are deafening, but a voice rockets from the back of his head, loud and clear.

 

“ _BEN!_ ” His eyes snap open. The quivering earth rocks his vision as the landslide powers on, nothing left but the eroding island he rests on as a sea of mud rushes past him. “Ben!”

 

“Rey..?” He looks out where the valley used to be, and there, on the other side, lies Rey clutching her wound desperately as she calls out to him. “REY!”

 

“Ben, you have to stop! You’re going to be carried away too!”

 

Her words strike him as he realizes he’s still using his force. Power pours out of him, and he’s trembling.

 

“I don’t know how!” His voice wavers and he can’t tell if it’s only because of the tremors.

 

Broken sobs slips past her lips as she shifts, holding out her hand. “Ben,” she calls. He gazes at her palm, the ground beneath his feet cracking. “Ben, please!”

 

“If I can’t stop, I’ll drag you down, too.”

 

“You won’t! You wouldn’t hurt me.”

 

“I have before,” he mutters, his island hardly larger than the outline of his feet.

 

“That only matters if you plan to do it again. Do you?” She waves her hand to him pointedly. “I’m trusting you.”

 

Round, shining irises pierce hers and he reaches out. Their hands hover for only a second, tremors ceasing the moment the pads of their fingers brush. He’s mesmerized as their fingers entwine, his thumb brushing ardently over hers. He can _feel_ her.

 

The ground gives beneath him.

 

There’s a moment of unbridled fear, watching it all fall away before he realizes he’s not going with it. Looking up, Rey, face pinched in agonizing concentration, has her hand out, holding him. With the slow drag of her hand, she guides him over the plateau near her and they both collapse, her chest luchring with labored breath.

 

“REY!” He sprints towards her, sliding to a stop on his knees. Gently cradling her head in his hand, he takes in her pale skin smeared with ash and dirt. “Easy. Shh, just breath.”

 

The dark shadows beneath her eyes worry him but he shifts focus to the red staining her shirt. He remembers three shots fired, counting the one in her chest, the deep graze on her side, and the red burn on her throat where the heat of the bullet scorched her skin as it passed.

 

The bloodsoaked jacket clings to her burnt skin as he peels it back. Examining her wound, he curses. It’s too close to her heart for comfort. “Let’s find your friends.”

 

Every whimper as he lifts her into his arms is like a dagger in his stomach. He whispers small reassurance as he balances her, ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder. The best way to find her ship is to head back towards the town. They’re walking for some time when he feels a shaking touch over the cloth on his face.

 

“What are you wearing?” It’s almost a laugh and Ben can’t help the smile behind his mask.

 

“I needed a disguise. This was all there was.”

 

This time there is a chuckle, though her breathing is still strained. “Green?”

 

“Not my color?” He hold back any reaction to the face she makes.

 

“Just never seen you in anything but-” her breath hitches as his fingers shift too close to the open wound on her side. He’s quick to move them away. “... in anything but black.”

 

“True. The darkness doesn’t offer all the colors of the light for our wardrobe.”

 

Her jaw drops. “That was a joke. I’m sure that time, you made a joke.”

 

His lips thin as he represses a grin, gaze fixed forward. “Maybe.”

 

“He makes joke!” She cheers weakly, though her eyes still manage to glow with delight. “And commits treason for me.” Her eyebrows raise when he looks down at her. “Twice.”

 

He wants to argue that killing Snoke was to bring a new order, but he knows it’s not the whole truth. “Yes,” he says.

 

By the size of her eyes, she wasn’t expecting that either. “Do you really-” He can’t hide the sharp flinch he gives when her hand tries to settle on his shoulder. Her face drops with her hand. “You’re hurt!”

 

“It’s fine,” he mumbles but she’s already tugging at his cloak, fingers ghosting over the blistered flesh. “It hardly broke the surface. You were shot at a closer distance, your wound is deeper. That means you take priority here.”

 

“Priority...?” She gasps, registering their situation. “Ben, put me down! You shouldn’t strain your injury!”

 

“Which is exactly what you would be doing if you tried to walk right now,” he heaves her close, grip locking her in place. “You said you trusted me. Trust me when I say I’m alright.”

 

Her reply is cut short as she coughs into her sleeve, a rush of dizziness overcoming her.

 

“Woah,” her head sways, knocking against Ben’s collarbone.

 

“We’re almost there.”

 

The harshness of her breathing back with a vengeance. “You know,” she rasps, “this is the most I’ve heard you talk.”

 

“Do you hate it?”

 

Her words fall flat as they reach the edge of the town, smoke rising from the charred remains. Something dark passes over her eyes. “I need my lightsaber. It’s still under my pillow.”

 

“Right.”

 

The silence crushes down on him as he steps around the carnage. It’s heavier than it was before, and he feels compelled to speak.

 

“I didn’t approve this attack,” he blurts, hating how he sounds like a scared child. “What you said, before... Our talk wasn’t a distraction. I didn’t order this.”

 

He doesn’t know why that of all things comes out, but he’s anxious to make sure she understands. The longer she takes to respond, the more it feels like a noose is slowly tightening around his neck.

 

“No,” she finally says as they step into the ruins of her room. “But you will have ordered the next one. And the one after that.”

 

“Rey-” She bursts into a fit of coughs, hand pulling away to reveal blood. “Rey?” Her eyes lose focus, lungs heaving in what air they can before her next coughing fit. The panic is palpable and she struggles to break out of his hold, every twist tearing at her wounds. “Rey, stop, you’re hurting yourself!”

 

With the dash of his hand, the rubble is swept from her cot and it stands upright once more. He sits her at the edge with her back against the wall, kneeling with his palms cupped around her elbows for stability.

 

“ _Ben_...” she gargles, hand shooting right back to block the next bout of coughs.

 

“I’m here. I’m right here. Listen, I think the blast damaged your lung. My ship is nearby, I can take you to the Supremacy-” She’s already shaking her head. “We don’t know if your friends are even waiting for you! You ship could be long gone by now, but we both know mine is still here. Let me help you.”

 

She squeezes her eyes tight, crimson teeth biting back the pain… then, nods.

 

His heart breaks when her arm wraps around his neck this time, fingers clinging to the back of his cloak. He tucks her close to his chest, hand reaching back to call the broken lightsaber to him, along with her staff. When everything is secured, he runs. “Stay with me. Just stay with me, Rey.”

 

The coughing has subsided, each breath replaced with a string of shattered gasps. “ This mean…. you don’t w-wanna.. destroy me?”

 

It’s like someone shot him all over again. “You heard that.”

 

“Yeah,” she hisses in pain, and he presses his hand flat against her back, feeling her increasingly shallow breaths.  “Thought y-were… letting go.. of me, -nd.. letting your past.. die…”

 

“You’re not my past, you’re my-” Her body goes limp in his arms, chest no longer moving. “Rey? REY?!” He puts her flat on the ground, her head falling to the side, and listens for her heart. Nothing. “No, no. Don’t do this to me again.”

 

Crossing his hands together, he presses a steady rhythm into her chest, leaning down breathe air into her lungs. Careless words fall from his lips: _Come on, Rey. Come on. Don’t leave me. Please._ He pumps and pumps, ignoring the burn of his muscles and the sickening sound as her bones crack. _Rey, please!_

 

Arms giving out, he drops his head into his hands, tugging fists full of hair with a roar.

 

It seems like a century of silence passes between them in the empty forest before a quite whirr rings out, getting louder.

 

The round droid tilts its head at him, peeking up from under his hood. Ben gapes.

 

Grabbing the large, orange ball, his fingers search and pry open one of the panels, ignoring the dissatisfied noises it makes at being manhandled. Ben heaves it up, pointing the opening to Rey’s chest. “Fire your taser.” The droid beeps angrily at him. “She’s dying! Do it!”

 

Two thin projectiles launch out, the wires crackling with electricity. Her back arches, but he doesn’t feel her pulse when he checks.

 

“Again,” he growls. Nothing. “Again!”

 

The droid beeps, voltage meter rising before it sends another shock. Rey jolts awake with a gasp, keeling over to cough a puddle of blood into the grass.

 

Ben drops the droid to the side and tugs her into his arms, digging his nose into the crook of her neck. Her hands finds their way to him, slipping up his neck and into his hair.

 

“Hey,” she chokes. “I’m alright, I’m ok.”

 

They’re both trembling, bodies curling around every part of the other they can reach.

 

“Your heart stopped. You weren’t breathing,” Rey clutches him tighter. “You’re still in danger. I need to get you to my medbay.”  

 

There’s someone yelling in the distance. _“BB-8! Where are you, buddy?”_

 

“Finn...” The droid beeps at her happily. “BB-8!”

 

Rey opens her mouth to speak but her voice is lost to the dark void in Ben’s eyes. Gentle fingers peel his mask down, tracing his scar then the frown of his lips.

 

“Thank you for saving my life. Again.” The words are quiet and her eyes are already beginning to lose focus once more.

 

Ben can only stare over her shoulder, a hard glare on his face, before he sighs heavily.

 

“You're sure your ship has all the necessary supplies to treat you?” She nods softly, sleep wrapping around her like a blanket. “If you die-”

 

“ _BB-8!”_

 

Ben heaves a breath through his nose. With a solem last glance, he hugs her close, holding her a second longer than he should, and lies her back against a tree. Setting her lightsaber and her staff next to her, he stands.

 

BB-8 chirps at him and he considers the droid for a moment before simply placing a finger over his mouth.

 

“Not a word… please.”

 

It's an awkward request but the small bot makes a noise. He thinks it agrees.

 

From a safe distance, hidden in the trees, Ben watches as Finn stumbles upon Rey, hands frantic as he checks her pulse and her injury before activating something that shines blue on his wrist. Most likely a tracking device, meaning he can't stick around.

 

She’ll be fine.

 

\- - - - -

 

Sneaking onto his ship is as simple as it was sneaking off. He’s able to hide his shoulder injury under his black cape, and he has to mentally fight the sudden hesitation that overcomes him when he picks up his helmet. His green cloak and mask burn to ash as his ship pushes off the surface of the planet.

 

Back on the Supremacy, the doors leading to the bridge slide open and every ounce of Ben’s lethal intent is present for all to see. Hux barely has a moment to show remorse before he’s being dragged forward by the throat, Ben’s voice so deep and resonating it shakes the very room.  

 

“I DID _NOT_ APPROVE THIS MISSION.” His hand clutches a little tighter, bringing Hux to his knees. “You went behind my back and sent _my_ stormtroopers to their deaths. Why? A pathetic attempt to sway authority to yourself and away from me, your Supreme Leader. Well you failed. The rebels escaped and the jedi still lives. I thought if I could get there in time, I might be able to spare the First Order this _embarrassment_ and blatant show of _disrespect_ for my leadership. Now, I’ll have to show everyone why it will surely never happen again.”

 

Hux is on the brink of unconsciousness, blue and purple all over. Ben drops him to the floor like a brick.

 

“You’re a disgrace. Take him away.” They all watch in silence as the man is dragged from the room. “Set a course for our closet base. We need to regroup.”

 

The crew answers as one: “Yes, Supreme Leader.”

 

\- - - - -

 

It’s a long while before Ben steps back into his room, shoulder wrapped after a visit with the medical droid. He finds himself once again sitting at the edge of his bed, but with much different thoughts haunting him. Folding his hands together, elbows resting on his knees, he lets his head dip down and waits.

 

Hours later, he finally, _finally,_ feels the familiar muteness return to him.

 

Her eyes blink open lazily, but they stay open once they spot him.

 

“This again?” she teases with a half smile. “Have you been waiting up for me this whole time?”

 

 _Yes_. “I wanted to make sure you were ok.”

 

“I see... You look awful.”

 

He could say the same to her with the heavy bandages peeking behind the collar of her shirt, but he doesn't. He wants to know how serious it was, if there is any permanent damage, or if she needs anything, anything at all. He would get it for her.

 

It’s the stifled groan that pushes past her lips that snaps him from his daze, and he minds her as she shuffled around on her bed. The split vision of their bond shifts the scene back and forth between what he assumes is her bed, to his.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Returning the favor.” She finally settles with some minor shortness of breath. “Come here.” She holds her hand out to him and he's frozen on the spot. Her face softens, voice hardly above a whisper. “Please?”

 

It takes less than a second for him to reach her, crawling on his knees over his bed until he's snug in the pocket of space she made for him. They’re facing each other, a breath apart, and Rey runs her hand down his arm until her fingers are gliding over his.

 

“How's your lung?”

 

“Not as bad as it felt. How's your shoulder?”

 

“Nothing I can't handle.”

 

She hums, thumb coming up to trace the shadows under his eyes. His freed hand dips under the hinge of her shirt, tracing the bandage over the graze on her side.

 

“There's so much we need to figure out.”

 

“We will,” his nose bumps hers as he presses closer. “I promise.”

 

Their lips meet for the briefest of moments and Ben thinks he saw a glimpse of everything in the universe at once. The way Rey gazes at him from under her lashes, he thinks she saw it too.

 

“Umm,” a heavy blush settles over her cheeks, spreading to his. “Let’s get some sleep. Would you mind-?” She clears her throat, nervous. “Is this ok? Falling asleep here. Like this?”

 

“Only if you’re here when I wake up.”

 

She beams like the sun itself, stealing another kiss. “Alright. I promise.”

 

“I’m trusting you,” he shines a crooked grin.

 

“Yeah,” she curls against his chest. “Me, too.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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